DZ Deathrays

Emerging from Australia in the early 2010s, the dance-punk trio DZ Deathrays fused abrasive guitar riffs with high-energy rhythms suited to raucous crowds. After launching their career via the well-received 2012 debut Bloodstreams, the group secured repeated placements near the top of domestic charts through Aria-nominated releases such as Bloody Lovely in 2019 and Positive Rising: Part 1 in 2020. Their sixth studio album, R.I.F.F., reached listeners in 2023.

The lineup of singer-guitarist Shane Parsons and drummer Simon Ridley first assembled in 2008 under the shortened moniker DZ, later appending Deathrays to distinguish themselves from an American dubstep producer, with an initial focus on performing solely at private house gatherings. Momentum built quickly, shifting them onto the club circuit and prompting the early-2009 arrival of their debut EP, Ruined My Life. Extensive 2010 travels alongside Crystal Castles and Ratatat, plus appearances at Big Day Out, Parklife, and Field Day, paved the way for a 2011 deal with Melbourne’s I Oh You imprint. The follow-up EP Brutal Tapes, assembled from both studio cuts and live house-party takes plus remixes, surfaced shortly thereafter, leading into a busy autumn that encompassed European dates with Male Bonding and Band of Skulls, the NME Radar Tour alongside Wolf Gang, and an Australian support slot for Foo Fighters.

Late-2011 sessions for the first full-length, Bloodstreams, took place under producer Richard Pike of PVT, who added polish to a style recalling Death from Above 1979 and Lightning Bolt. Issued the next spring, the record drew praise from NME and Q Magazine while collecting honors for Best Independent Hard Rock Album at the 2012 Australian Independent Music Awards and Best Hard Rock/Metal Album at that year’s ARIA Awards. During subsequent road work, the pair began composing material for their next effort and, in early 2014, tracked it over two weeks at Sydney’s Grove Studios with Burke Reid. The resulting sophomore LP, Black Rat, appeared in mid-2014. DZ Deathrays unveiled the single “Total Meltdown” in January 2018 ahead of their third album, Bloody Lovely, which followed in February and reached number four on the ARIA Charts. Positive Rising: Part 1, their fourth long-player, surfaced the next year. Its sequel, Positive Rising, Pt. 2, arrived in 2021 and, like its predecessor, earned an Australian Independent Record Award for Best Independent Punk Album. Lead tracks such as “King B” and “Tuff Luck” preceded the June 2023 release of the blistering R.I.F.F.